Arizona Diamondbacks little guy Adam Eaton gets his big shot

Outfield prospect earns call-up, start

by Nick Piecoro - Sept. 4, 2012 11:44 PMazcentral sports

SAN FRANCISCO - When Adam Eaton got the call he'd been waiting for his whole life -- Diamondbacks farm director Mike Bell told him on Monday evening that he was coming to the big leagues -- he said he "started running around the house with my head on fire."

Sounds about right since that's the way he plays baseball.

The Diamondbacks brought the fiery outfielder to the majors on Monday and inserted him into the starting lineup against the San Francisco Giants, completing an improbable journey for the undersized late-round draft pick.

"It's been a journey, that's for sure," Eaton said. "Growing up, when you're the smallest kid and you don't know if you can do it and then you get to the big (leagues), and it kind of all comes together. It's special."

He's still the smallest kid. Smaller, even, than infielder John McDonald, who had a couple of inches on him as they stood around the batting cage before Tuesday's game.

Listed at 5 feet 8, Eaton's size hasn't kept him from posting enormous numbers at every stop in the minor leagues. Since being drafted in the 19th round in 2010, he has hit .355 in 1,451 plate appearances in the minor leagues. He led all of the minors this season with a .375 average, 198 hits, 47 doubles and 130 runs scored and was second with a .456 on-base.

His numbers are so impressive, the Diamondbacks might make moves in the off-season to create room for him in the majors. When center fielder Chris Young came up with a quad injury on Monday, the Diamondbacks moved quickly to bring Eaton up from Triple-A Reno, which opens the playoffs Wednesday night.

Manager Kirk Gibson wouldn't say how much playing time he expects to give Eaton in the final month of the season, but with a playoff spot virtually impossible, the Diamondbacks figure to get a good look at him heading into the off-season.

"We've got a lot of outfielders," General Manager Kevin Towers said. "It puts him in a position here for the last month to get into some games. Going against the Dodgers, the Giants, a couple of contending clubs, it'll be good experience for him. We'll worry about 2013 at the end of 2012. It'd be nice to see how he handles big-league competition, both offensively and defensively."

Towers was asked if Eaton's minor-league track record would compel him to create room for him on next year's team.

"For that to happen, people have to leave," Towers said. "At the end of the year, we'll kind of re-evaluate, sit down as a group, find out where we're at and where our needs are. It's not that easy to create spots. We'll see what happens.

"He's proved that he can compete at the highest level of the minor leagues, and there's no step between now and the big leagues. At some point in time, he needs to get an opportunity here."

He didn't have the best start to Tuesday's game, striking out on four pitches to lead off the game and making an ill-advised dive at a Marco Scutaro ball that went for a triple in the bottom of the first.

But he showed his surprising pop -- unexpected given his stature -- when he lined an opposite-field double to left field in the fourth.

Notable: Miley's September was worse than any of his previous months. He posted a 5.90 ERA in the month; his next worst month was June (3.46 ERA). He's still among the leading candidates for the Rookie of the Year award, locked in what looks like a close race along with Washington's Bryce Harper and Cincinnati's Todd Frazier. Miley gave up five runs in six innings against the Rockies earlier this month. He has a 3.18 ERA in three starts against them. ... Pomeranz gave up four runs in three innings against the Diamondbacks on Sept. 21, but he came back to toss five scoreless innings against the Cubs in his most recent start. He's given up nine runs in 7 1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks this season. Lefties are hitting just .163 against him, but righties are hitting .293.